Ja-PUN

5/21/10

I don't know how to start this post, imagine that, a loss of words...that's just how entertaining Ja-PUN was tonight! It is a group of civilian teachers, contract employees, and spouses who perform skits that highlight what it's like to be a Gaijin (foreigner) living in Japan. Hilarious is quite an understatement!

Adina and I proudly earned these buttons "Official Ja-PUN Benjo Bouncer". You may be wondering what that is, or how we earned these exclusive one of kind items. I'll tell you! I just hope that there weren't pictures/videos captured of any of it!

At the start of the show they were doing an audience poll about how long people had been in Japan and Adina and I were the lucky winners of the people who were the newest. I feared that this would required some embarrassment or participation at this point, but was thankfully let off of the hook...that is until about half way through the show when they surprisingly called us on stage to participate in a song that demonstrates how to use the Benjo (which I now know is the term for "traditional toilet"). That's right, we, on a stage in front of some of the people we work with, some children, and a lot of other people, with bright lights in our eyes, did the "Benjo Bounce" to the tune of the Hokey Pokey.

Since I thankfully do not have a video to upload and share, I'll do my best to explain how this went..."you put your right foot here" (to the far right), "you put your left foot here" (to the far left, obviously with a nice big space for the traditional toilet between your legs), "you drop your booty down" (now in squatting position almost like that of a baseball catcher), "and you bounce it all around", then they sang something about how you are facing the wrong way so you turn it all around and the act starts all over again! Basically we were on stage hovering over an imaginary toilet while shaking our ass...but that my friends, is all it takes to get a one of a kind Ja-PUN official benjo bouncer button. Don't be jealous!

This show has been around for over 25 years and has become extremely popular. They travel all through Japan to the various military bases and government hotels to perform. If you're ever in Japan or have lived here, I highly recommend this show, it's hilarious! And, perhaps with any of your own luck you will also get the opportunity to join the exclusive club, the official benjo bouncers. But I doubt it, skill like that isn't just thought up, you're born with it!